Friday, April 20, 2012

So, this isn't so much of a crochet entry. Actually, it's more correct to say that this isn't a crochet entry at all.

This is an entry all about that beautiful little runner on those bookshelves. My sister-in-law (Melissa) quilted that runner for me awhile back. I use it to draw my eye away from the cluttered, industrial bookshelf that we need to have (for now) in our living room.

Isn't it fun?

A few weeks ago, I received another package in the mail from Melissa. Another runner!

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Here's the pattern I've put together for the crochet sunhat that I've been working on lately. Again, my jumping off point was this pattern over at lionbrand.com. I changed some of the numbers as far as hat band motifs, single crochets, and brim rows to make the hat the size and fit that I wanted. Also, I added a wire along the brim.

Assemble Hat Band: Sew motifs together so that there is one ch-3 space free at top and bottom of each motif. Join 9 motifs into long narrow hat band.

HAT:Make magic circle, work 6 sc into ring, sl st to join. Mark beg of rnd, working in a spiral:Rnd 1: 2 sc in each sc around -- 12 sc.Rnd 2: *2 sc into next sc, sc into next sc*, rep from * to * around -- 18 sc.Rnd 3: *2 sc into next sc, sc into next 2 sc*, rep from * to * around -- 24 sc.Rnd 4: *2 sc into next sc, sc into next 3 sc*, rep from * to * around -- 30 sc.Rnd 5: *2 sc into next sc, sc into next 4 sc*, rep from * to * around -- 36 sc.Rnd 6: *2 sc into next sc, sc into next 5 sc*, rep from * to * around -- 42 sc.Rnd 7: *2 sc into next sc, sc into next 6 sc*, rep from * to * around -- 48 sc.Rnd 8: *2 sc into next sc, sc into next 7 sc*, rep from * to * around -- 54 sc.Rnd 9: *2 sc into next sc, sc into next 8 sc*, rep from * to * around --60 sc.Rnd 10: *2 sc into next sc, sc into next 9 sc*, rep from * to * around -- 66 sc.Rnd 11: *2 sc into next sc, sc into next 10 sc*, rep from * to * around -- 72 sc.

Rnd 12: *2 sc into next sc, sc into next 11 sc*, rep from * to * around--78 sc.

Rnd 13: Work one rnd even in sc, except, increase one sc three times in approximately even places.--81 sc.

Rnd 14-15: Work 2 rnds even in sc.

Join Hat and Hat band: Rnd 1: With right sides tog, sc 81 sts around inserting hook through both hand band and last row of hat to join (each hat band motif will have 9 sc across, 2 sc into ch-3 space, 1 sc into top cluster st, 3 sc into middle free ch-3 space, 1 sc into next top cluster st, 2 sc into ch-3 space). Sl st back seam of hat band and with RS facing, work 81 sc around bottom of hat band (9 sts across each motif as described above). Work 4 rnds even in sc.

Brim Incs:First Rnd: *Sc into each of next 9 sts, 2 sc into next st*, rep from * to * around -- 89 sts. Work 1 rnd even in sc.Next Rnd: *Sc into each of next 10 sts, 2 sc into next st*, rep from * to * around -- 97 sts. Work 1 rnd even in sc.Next Rnd: *Sc into each of next 11 sts, 2 sc into next st*, rep from * to * around -- 105 sts. Work 1 rnd even in sc, working wire in underneath the sc's.

Embellishments: Make Crochet Ribbon by making a tight chain, as long as you want. Thread through first row of brim, tying in a bow. If you want to add flowers, make them and sew them on to the hat wherever you want, being sure NOT to sew into your ribbon (so that your ribbon can be adjustable).

Assemble Hat Band: Sew motifs together so that there is one ch-3 space free at top and bottom of each motif. Join 9 motifs into long narrow hat band.

HAT:Make magic circle, work 6 sc into ring, sl st to join. Mark beg of rnd, working in a spiral:Rnd 1: 2 sc in each sc around -- 12 sc.Rnd 2: *2 sc into next sc, sc into next sc*, rep from * to * around -- 18 sc.Rnd 3: *2 sc into next sc, sc into next 2 sc*, rep from * to * around -- 24 sc.Rnd 4: *2 sc into next sc, sc into next 3 sc*, rep from * to * around -- 30 sc.Rnd 5: *2 sc into next sc, sc into next 4 sc*, rep from * to * around -- 36 sc.Rnd 6: *2 sc into next sc, sc into next 5 sc*, rep from * to * around -- 42 sc.Rnd 7: *2 sc into next sc, sc into next 6 sc*, rep from * to * around -- 48 sc.Rnd 8: *2 sc into next sc, sc into next 7 sc*, rep from * to * around -- 54 sc.Rnd 9: *2 sc into next sc, sc into next 8 sc*, rep from * to * around --60 sc.Rnd 10: *2 sc into next sc, sc into next 9 sc*, rep from * to * around -- 66 sc.Rnd 11: *2 sc into next sc, sc into next 10 sc*, rep from * to * around -- 72 sc. Rnd 12-15: Work 4 rnds even in sc

Join Hat and Hat band: Rnd 1: With right sides tog, sc 72 sts around inserting hook through both hand band and last row of hat to join (each hat band motif will have 9 sc across, 2 sc into ch-3 space, 1 sc into top cluster st, 3 sc into middle free ch-3 space, 1 sc into next top cluster st, 2 sc into ch-3 space). Sl st back seam of hat band and with RS facing, work 72 sc around bottom of hat band (9 sts across each motif as described above). Work 4 rnds even in sc.

Brim Incs:First Rnd: *Sc into each of next 8 sts, 2 sc into next st*, rep from * to * around -- 80 sts. Work 1 rnd even in sc.Next rnd: *Sc into each of next 9 sts, 2 sc into next st*, rep from * to * around -- 88 sts. Work 1 rnd even in sc.Next Rnd: *Sc into each of next 10 sts, 2 sc into next st*, rep from * to * around -- 96 sts. Work 1 rnd even in sc, working wire in underneath the sc's.

Embellishments: Make Crochet Ribbon by making a tight chain, as long as you want. Thread through first row of brim, tying in a bow. If you want to add flowers, make them and sew them on to the hat wherever you want, being sure NOT to sew into your ribbon (so that your ribbon can be adjustable).

Monday, April 9, 2012

Not long ago, I got a message from a woman who was due to have a baby boy in about two weeks. She wanted a hat to use in the newborn shots of her baby, and she wanted it to be in green and tan, her university colors.

She found this hat in my shop, and asked me if I could make one like it, but smaller (for a newborn) and with more stripes.

Here's what I came up with:

I forgot to set my camera with the "close-up" setting, so it's a little blurry. Still, this gives the the general idea.

I went until there were 7 sc in between each set of doubles, then I started just going around evenly on each row.

Once I got to where I wasn't doing any more doubles, I went a row or two with the green, then added two rows of tan. Then 4 more rows of green, then two more rows of tan. Then 9 rows of green, the another row of green, but just in the front loop (making the "fold up" row). Then I turned and crocheted the other way, making 3 rows of green and ending with two rows of tan

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

(Incidentally, what is the difference between a beanie and a cloche? Does anyone really know?)

It's for the same girl that inspired me to make this sunhat. She's around ten years old, and was recently told that, due to an issue with a birthmark, she's going to be spending the next year with half of her head shaved. Not fun.

(I remember when I was fourteen years old, I ended up with a recurrent eye infection, the upshot of which was that I had to go to my first two months of high school wearing my mom's oversized dark prescription sunglasses. Also not fun.)

So, if she has to be partly shaved, at least this girl should be able to have a few cute hats, huh? I'm planning to make one more. Apparently she's pretty partial to lavender/purple shades, so I think that color will feature prominently in the last one. I spent about an hour last week browsing free hat patterns, and I have about eight or nine printed out that I'd like to try. So, I imagine one of those will be my "jumping off" point for the last hat in this little collection.

In the meantime though, I just got an order for a smaller, more stripey version of this hat. The customer is kind of in a rush, because she wants to use it in the newborn photos of her little guy, and he's due to be born on April 8. So, I'd better get going on that. It seems like babies are only newborn for about ten minutes, you know?